The Every Student Succeeds Act lets states set their own academic standards

Educators say the new Every Student Succeeds Act is an improvement over the oft-criticized No Child Left Behind Act, started in 2002 with a promise that all American students would be proficient in reading and math by the 2013-14 school year. That didn’t happen.

NCLB was blamed for ushering in a climate of overtesting as districts sought to stay off the federal bad list and away from punitive action for not meeting adequate yearly progress. Some schools gave local assessments and had test prep throughout the year to...